Sydney consulting firm Taylor Fry has estimated that 39.62 per cent of businesses within the Parkes Shire Council boundaries are making use of the wage subsidies, currently at $1500 per fortnight per worker.

Taylor Fry used data from the Treasury and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, to estimate and map the proportion of businesses in each Local Government Area (LGA) who have registered to receive the JobKeeper payment.

The Parkes community's use of JobKeeper is just below the average regional rate observed in the Taylor Fry report but higher than most of its neighbouring centres.

Coming in after Parkes, is the Weddin Shire at 34.81 per cent of businesses.

Orange ranked fourth at 33.44 per cent and Forbes fifth at 31.55 per cent.

"At least 40 per cent of businesses in [regional] areas are receiving JobKeeper payments and in some cases the proportion is much higher," Taylor Fry principal Alan Greenfield said.

"About 35 per cent of Australian businesses have applied for JobKeeper and the payment supports 28 per cent of the employed workforce, so the subsidy is fundamental to the economy right now."

In Cowra shire 28.22 per cent of businesses are receiving assistance under the scheme while in the Hilltops Local Government area 27.75 per cent are relying on the assistance to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parkes' figure is higher than larger regional centres like Wagga, Bathurst and Orange.

The figures are:

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